Romantic Period Essay, Research Paper

THE ROMANTIC PERIOD

The Romantic Period was a time when eighteenth century thinking changed from the world being viewed from the mind, to being viewed through the heart. This period was given its name by historians if the late 1800 s because all the attitudes and tendencies of eighteenth century classicism and rationalism were changed drastically. The Romantic Period not only influenced political and ideological matters, but also it showed great contrast from the literature and music featured during the Enlightenment Period of the seventeenth century. The Romantic Period concentrated on human diversity, looking at life in a new way, and choosing emotion before rationality.

Literature during the Romantic Period was affected greatly by what was going on around the world. Most writers reacted strongly to the events going on around them. Writers either felt excitement or repulsion when examining the French Revolution. They saw the dramatic changes being brought forth because of the Industrial Revolution and longed for the life of simplicity they had once led. Due to the instability of the times, literary figures turned their attention to literary endeavors, creating the Romantic Movement that offered a new perspective, which focused on nature and the individual. Key literary figures of this time are William Blake; William Words, who wrote Lyrical Ballads; Samuel Coleridge, who wrote Kubla Khan; Lord Byron, who wrote Don Juan; and John Keaton. Leading artists of this period include John Constable; Eugene Delacroix, The Barque of Dante; Henry Fuseli, Lady Macbeth; and George Walker, Wensley Dale Knitters.

At the beginning of the 19TH century, the Viennese Classical style used by Mozart and Beethoven was used throughout Europe. This style was so popular that almost every composer wrote in some variation of it. Because of this, adventurous musicians began reaching out in new directions. They became to value other goals more than the goal of formal clarity. Instead of moderation, musicians began to value impulsiveness and novelty. Composers would gradually begin to allow more solos even if it didn t add to the overall performance of a symphony. In this way, composers began to exhibit a romantic, rather than a Classical, view of the art. Early examples of the Romantic Period in music are shown by Franz Schubert and Carl Maria von Weber.

Side note: The only information about theater during the Romantic Period that I found is that it consisted of mostly opera. No information was found on schools of thought during this period although I m pretty sure they were Cambridge, Oxford, and Harvard.